The Biden Plan to Improve Equal Rights for LGBTQ+ People in the United States and Around the World

Joe Biden thinks that everyone should be treated with respect and dignity and not have to worry about their safety, no matter who they are or who they love. In the Obama-Biden administration, the US made historic progress toward LGBTQ+ equality. From ending "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" to Biden's historic support for marriage equality on Meet the Press in 2012, protections for LGBTQ+ Americans at the federal level were strengthened in ways that had never been seen before. But the fight is still going on. Donald Trump and Mike Pence have made it easier for people who hate LGBTQ+ people to do so and have taken away important protections for the LGBTQ+ community. The Trump-Pence Administration has made it harder for transgender people to serve their country openly, denied LGBTQ+ people access to important health care, proposed policies that would let federally funded homeless shelters turn away transgender people and federally funded adoption agencies turn away samesex couples, and failed to address the widespread violence against transgender people, especially transgender women of color. Not long after Trump and Pence took office, people began to hate and discriminate against LGBTQ+ people. Getting rid of them won't solve the problem, but it's the first thing we need to do to get back on track toward equality. As president, Biden will stand with the LGBTQ+ community to make sure that America finally keeps the promise it was made: that everyone is equal. He will be the moral leader to fight for LGBTQ+ people's equal rights, make sure our laws and institutions protect and enforce their rights, and promote LGBTQ+ equality around the world. Biden is going to: • Stop people from being mean to LGBTQ+ people. • Help LGBTQ+ kids and teens. • Keep LGBTQ+ people safe from harm, and work to end the widespread violence against transgender people, especially transgender women of color. • Give more LGBTQ+ people access to high-quality health care. • Make sure that LGBTQ+ people are treated fairly in the criminal justice system. • Gather the information you need to fully support the LGBTQ+ community. • Support LGBTQ+ rights and development around the world. • Protect LGBTQ+ people from being discriminated against. About half of LGBTQ+ people in the US live in states that don't protect their rights well enough. Because of who they are or who they love, they can get married on Sunday and then be fired the next day. LGBTQ+ people still face discrimination in almost every part of their lives, such as when they apply for jobs, join the military, start a family, or get a driver's license that shows their correct gender. The Equality Act is the best way to make sure that LGBTQ+ Americans have the same legal rights as everyone else. It will also make sure that LGBTQ+ people are protected by current civil rights laws. During his first 100 days as President, Biden will make it a top legislative priority to sign the Equality Act into law. Along with that, Biden will tell his Cabinet to make sure that the Equality Act is fully and immediately enforced across all federal departments and agencies. In addition to signing the Equality Act into law, Biden will also use his executive power to do something. He will right away undo the unfair things the Trump-Pence administration did and then do even more to stop discrimination against LGBTQ+ people. Biden is going to: Give federal agencies the power to fight for equality. Biden will choose federal officials and judges who are representative of all American groups, including LGBTQ+ people. He is going to make sure that leaders in all federal agencies are committed to fully enforcing our civil rights laws for LGBTQ+ people. And he will make sure that we give the groups that are supposed to enforce our anti-discrimination laws the money they need to do their job. Some of these groups are the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC), the U.S. The Office for Civil Rights in the U.S. Department of Education and the U.S. The Civil Rights Division of the Department of Justice. Protect LGBTQ+ people from being discriminated against at work because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Reaffirm that the Civil Rights Act does not allow discrimination in the workplace based on gender identity or sexual orientation. In 2014, the Obama-Biden Department of Justice confirmed that Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits discrimination in the workplace based on sex, also prohibits discrimination in the workplace based on gender identity. Later, the EEOC said that Title VII does not allow discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity. The Department of Justice under the Trump-Pence Administration has changed its mind and now says that Title VII does not protect these groups. Biden will make sure that Title VII is followed and will work to pass the Equality Act, which would make it illegal to treat people differently at work because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Transgender and non-binary people should be able to work. Transgender and non-binary Americans face a lot of discrimination when they are looking for work. To deal with these unique problems, Biden will make sure that workforce and business training programs and resources paid for by the U.S. The Small Business Administration and the Department of Labor pay attention to and help this community. He will also make it easier for transgender and non-binary people to get jobs by giving states and local governments incentives to start programs that help them do so. Stop discrimination in the federal government job market. The federal government should show the way. Trump has taken away parts of President Obama's order that federal contractors can't be biased, but Biden will put them back in full effect. Along with civil rights leaders, the Biden Administration will create and implement implicit bias training programs for federal employees and contractors. These programs will help stop discrimination based on disability, sex, race, or sexual orientation. The training materials that were made will be made public by a Biden Administration so that other businesses can run similar programs. Veterans and LGBTQ+ service members should be treated with respect. Change the military's ban on transgender people. As part of the Obama-Biden Administration, "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was lifted in 2010. This meant that gay, lesbian, and bisexual service members could serve their country without having to hide their sexuality. The Obama-Biden Administration lifted the ban on transgender people serving in public without hiding their gender identity in June 2016. But Trump changed this policy so that transgender Americans can't serve openly. This is unfair and dangerous for our national security. No matter their sexual orientation or gender identity, every American who is qualified to serve in our military should be able to do so. They shouldn't have to hide who they are. Biden will lead the U.S. Department of Defense to let transgender service members serve openly, get the medical care they need, and not have to worry about being discriminated against. Take back policies from the Department of Defense that keep HIV+ people from being accepted and treated fairly. The "Deploy or Get Out" policy of the Trump-Pence Administration, which forces military members with HIV to leave their jobs, was deemed "irrational, inconsistent, and at variance with modern science" by a federal district court. It was upheld by the Fourth Circuit in January 2020 because it "failed to take into account current medical literature and expert opinion about current HIV treatment and transmission risks." The Biden Administration will reverse the policy if the Trump-Pence Administration continues to try to put it into place. Help LGBTQ+ veterans. As part of Biden's plan for veterans, the needs of LGBTQ+ veterans will be met. While he is president, he will tell his Secretary of Housing and Urban Development to make sure that the Supportive Services for Veterans Families program's wraparound services meet the specific needs of LGBTQ+ veterans who are homeless. He will be in charge of the U.S. As a way to make sure that VA facilities and community care settings can meet the health care needs of LGBTQ+ veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) will set up guidelines for cultural competency training. Also, Biden will tell the Secretary of Defense to make sure that applications for discharge upgrades from LGBTQ+ veterans who were discharged because of their sexual orientation or gender identity are quickly looked over by the Boards for Correction of Military Records. Back the freedom to have families and keep them safe. Biden made history on May 6, 2012, when he became the highest-ranking elected official in the U.S. to support marriage equality in an interview on Meet the Press. After three years, the U.S. The Supreme Court agreed and said that the right to marry is a basic right. Being able to marry means being able to start a family. As Biden sees it, LGBTQ+ people and same-sex couples should be able to start families and keep them safe. Even so, many foster care and adoption agencies that get money from the government still treat LGBTQ+ families badly or make things harder for them while they are in the process of adopting or foster caring. When these agencies don't find LGBTQ+ youth in care safe and accepting families, they also put those youth at risk. The Trump-Pence Administration proposed a rule in November 2019 that would let adoption and foster care agencies that don't treat LGBTQ+ families fairly get government money. If the rule is put into place, Biden will get rid of it as president. He will also work to make sure that qualified families are not discriminated against because of their religion, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, sex, or disability, and that child welfare agencies put the needs of all children, including LGBTQ+ children, first. Besides that, Biden will work with the U.S. Department of State and other federal agencies to make sure that same-sex couples and their children are treated equally in all federal programs, services, and benefits. This is especially important when it comes to the requirements for becoming a citizen and the immigration and naturalization processes. Stop unfairly using broad exemptions to hurt certain groups. Freedom of religion is an important American value. But some states have used broad exemptions in the wrong way to let businesses, medical providers, social service agencies, state and local government officials, and other groups discriminate against LGBTQ+ people. As a planned and organized action, the Trump-Pence Administration has tried to weaken protections for the LGBTQ+ community by making religious exceptions to existing nondiscrimination laws and policies across all federal agencies. Trump's policies take advantage of these broad exemptions, but Biden will change them. He will also fight to make sure that no one is turned away from a business or denied service by a government official because of who they are or who they love. Bring back protections for LGBTQ+ people who are homeless. The Obama-Biden Administration made sure that homeless shelters that get federal money give people housing based on their gender identity and can't turn people away because of their sexual orientation or gender identity. Since then, the TrumpPence Administration has suggested that shelters should be able to discriminate against transgender people when choosing where to house them. For example, transgender women should be forced to sleep and use the bathroom in the same area as men. As President, Biden will work to get the Equality Act passed. This will make sure that no other president can take away the civil rights protections for LGBTQ+ people, even in housing and homeless shelters. Help seniors who are LGBTQ+. In the United States, there are about 3 million LGBTQ+ people older than 50. By 2030, that number is expected to have more than doubled. In all parts of their lives, from jobs to housing to health care, these older people often face discrimination. Through the Services and Advocacy for LGBT Elders (SAGE) resource program, the Obama-Biden Administration helped older LGBTQ+ people get help and find resources. Biden will work to get the Ruthie and Connie LGBT Elder Americans Act passed so that LGBTQ+ older Americans are not treated unfairly. He will also keep Medicare and make it stronger, keep and make Social Security stronger, and help older LGBTQ+ workers who want to keep working. Affirm one's gender marker and make it easier for more people to get accurate IDs. People who are transgender or non-binary and don't have identification that matches their gender identity are often harassed and abused, and they can't get jobs, housing, important public benefits, or even the right to vote. The Obama-Biden State Department was the first to change its rules on changing your gender on a passport. When Biden becomes president, he will build on this action to make sure that all transgender people can get IDs that correctly reflect their gender identity. Biden thinks that all transgender and nonbinary people should be able to change their gender marker on government IDs, passports, and other documents to "M," "F," or "X." He will back efforts at the state and federal levels to make this possible. Make sure that the ways people donate blood are based on science. During the Obama-Biden administration, the unfair ban on lifelong blood donation because of the stigma was lifted. Biden will work with the Food and Drug Administration to make sure that rules are based on facts, not myths or social stigma. The Human Rights Campaign wants Biden to fund "new research to study risk behavior" and backs the idea of "revising the donor questionnaires so that they focus on more refined and specific behavioral criteria, like recent sexual histories that include unprotected sex or a significant number of sexual partners over the previous year." HELP YOUTH WHO ARE LGBTQ+ Biden has fought for equality and acceptance for young LGBTQ+ people throughout his career. Biden knows how important it is for LGBTQ+ teens and young adults to feel safe, supported, and valued at school and at home. The Obama-Biden Administration worked hard to change the culture from one of fear and rejection to one where young LGBTQ+ people feel safe, affirmed, accepted, and loved. They did this through policies and public leadership. As private citizens, Joe and Jill Biden kept up this work through the "As You Are" campaign of the Biden Foundation, which helped young LGBTQ+ people and their families understand and accept each other. When Biden is president, he will: Make sure that young LGBTQ+ people are safe and supported in our schools and colleges by: Making sure that transgender students can use facilities that match their gender identity. On his first day in office, Biden will bring back the Obama-Biden guidance that was taken away by the Trump-Pence administration. This will allow transgender students to use the bathrooms, locker rooms, and sports facilities according to their gender identity. He will tell his Department of Education to vigorously enforce transgender students' civil rights and look into any violations. Keep LGBTQ+ students safe from sexual assault, bullying, and harassment. Biden has come up with a number of ideas to help young adults who are sexually assaulted, abused in relationships, or harassed online. He will make sure that all of these plans include a focus on helping LGBTQ+ students, who report more sexual assaults than other students. He will also try to get the Tyler Clementi Higher Education AntiHarassment Act passed. This bill will set up a grant program to help anti-harassment programs on college campuses. Also, Biden will bring back the Obama-Biden guidance that says federally funded schools can't harass people because of their sexual orientation or gender identity or expression. Biden will also work to get the Safe Schools Improvement Act passed. This law requires school districts to make rules against bullying and harassment. Getting rid of school rules about discipline that hurt LGBTQ+ students more than other students. LGBTQ+ students, especially LGBTQ+ students of color, transgender students, and LGBTQ+ students with disabilities, are more likely than their non-LGBTQ+ peers to get in trouble, be suspended, or even be kicked out of school. This is usually because they have been bullied or discriminated against. Biden will add LGBTQ+ students, all students of color, and students with disabilities to the Obama-Biden Administration's work to fix the problem of how school discipline affects girls of color more than it affects other students of color. Put an end to the suicide of young LGBTQ+ people. Teenagers who are bisexual, gay, or lesbian are five times more likely to try to kill themselves than their straight peers. And one-third of transgender teens say they have tried to kill themselves in the last year. Biden will make sure that programs in schools and communities to prevent suicide are based on tried-and-true methods, which the U.S. The Department of Education will spread the word. He will make it easier for people to get mental health help by adding twice as many psychologists, counselors, nurses, social workers, and other health professionals to our schools. This is similar to what Pennsylvania wants to do with Phillip's Law. Biden will tell his Secretary of Education to look into the mental health needs and services in our schools. Biden will also spend money on research to make programs that stop teens from committing suicide work better. Get rid of LGBTQ+ youth homelessness. About twice as many LGBTQ+ teens and young adults are homeless as their non-LGBTQ+ peers. Biden's housing plan includes passing the Ending Homelessness Act, which will pay for a complete plan to end homelessness that includes case management, emergency shelters, and more housing vouchers for people who are homeless. Biden will also make sure that some of this grant money goes directly to helping homeless kids and teens, including LGBTQ+ teens and young adults. Biden will also build on his work on the "It Gets Better" and "As You Are" campaigns to make LGBTQ+ young people feel more accepted and get more help. He knows that too many LGBTQ+ youth are homeless because they are rejected by their families, peers, and schools. He will put money into programs like the LGBTQ Youth Homelessness Prevention Initiative and the 3/40 Blueprint that have been shown to work to stop and reduce homelessness among LGBTQ+ youth. He will also put money into programs that meet the specific needs of LGBTQ+ youth who are homeless. Biden will specifically increase funding for the Runaway and Homeless Youth Act to make sure that LGBTQ+ people can get to transitional living programs that offer important services like job counseling and medical and mental health care. Think about how to improve and stop juvenile justice problems. LGBTQ+ teens and young adults are disproportionately overrepresented in the juvenile justice system. LGBTQ+ youth only make up about 7– 9% of all youth in the United States, but they make up about 20% of all youth who are in juvenile detention or correctional facilities. Reforming the juvenile justice system will be one of Biden's top priorities as president. This will help more kids get a second chance to live up to their full potential. He will give $1 billion a year to reform juvenile justice and give states a reason to stop locking up kids. Biden will start a new $100 million pilot program to get states to (1) put nonviolent teens in community-based programs instead of jail and (2) use empty prisons for good in the community so they can't be used for detention again. To get this $100 million grant, communities will have to include young LGBTQ+ people and communities that have been affected when they make plans to lower the number of juveniles in jail. To keep kids active, busy, learning, and having fun, he will give more money to community centers, summer jobs, and programs that run after school. Biden will increase the amount of money the federal government spends on programs that give kids safe, caring places to hang out when they're not in school. Biden will also make the national summer jobs program for young adults bigger so that they can find work, stay busy, and learn new skills. Watch out for LGBTQ+ Dreamers. About 36,000 Dreamers who are part of DACA (Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals) are LGBTQ. There are about 75,000 Dreamers who are LGBTQ. The Trump-Pence Administration was cruel and didn't do anything good by ending DACA. This threw the lives of millions of Dreamers into chaos. Dreamers and their parents should be able to see how they can become citizens through immigration reform in the legislature. But for now, Biden will take away Dreamers' worries by bringing back the DACA program, and he will look into all legal options to keep their families from being separated in cruel ways. HELP KEEP LGBTQ+ PEOPLE SAFE FROM HARM One thing that has driven Biden throughout his career is standing up to people who abuse their power. Because of that force, he wrote and fought for the Violence Against Women Act of 1994, beat the National Rifle Association twice, and spoke out strongly against the widespread violence against LGBTQ+ people, including transgender women. Biden will protect LGBTQ+ people from violence in their own homes, in their communities, and when they come to the United States as president. He will also make sure that we help LGBTQ+ people who have been abused. Biden is going to: Stop dating violence, domestic violence, sexual assault, and stalking of LGBTQ+ people, and help those who have been victims of this violence. Biden wrote the first Violence Against Women Act and pushed for its reauthorization in 2013. This was the first time that the law explicitly protected LGBTQ+ people and labeled LGBTQ+ people as a "underserved population," which meant that groups that help the LGBTQ+ community could get existing funding. The proposed Violence Against Women Reauthorization Act of 2019 includes more protections for LGBTQ+ people, including transgender people who are in jail. In spite of this, Leader McConnell is not going to bring the bill to the Senate floor. So why shouldn't the Senate pass this reauthorization now? It will be law long before President Biden's first day on the job. But if they don't, Biden will make reauthorizing VAWA one of his top priorities for the first 100 days in office. He will also try to get protections against discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity added to the reauthorization of the Family Violence Prevention and Services Act (FVPSA). He will also try to get the National LGBTQ Institute on IPV permanent funding so that it can stop and deal with LGBTQ+ intimate partner violence. Stop the widespread violence against transgender women of color. Because transgender people, especially transgender women of color, are killed at a high rate, the Biden Administration will make it a priority to bring their killers to justice. Also, Biden will use federal funds in his first 100 days in office to help stop violence against transgender women, especially transgender women of color. Biden knows that discrimination in housing and jobs makes people more likely to be homeless and violent. That's why he will also work to pass the Equality Act and the LGBTQ Essential Data Act. These laws will help get important information about anti-trans violence and the things that cause it. He will also tell his government to add information about sexual orientation and gender identity or expression to the FBI's Uniform Crime Reports Supplementary Homicide Reports (UCR-SHR). At the moment, these reports don't include sections for sexual orientation and gender identity. This makes it harder to fully diagnose and measure the number of violent crimes against bisexual, gay, lesbian, and transgender victims. Make sure that the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Act to Stop Hate Crimes. Over the years, Biden has pushed for more than a dozen bills to stop hate crimes. In 1989, he pushed for a law that required the government to start keeping track of hate crimes based on sexual orientation. In 1994, he pushed for a landmark law that made it easier to punish crimes based on sexual orientation. Barack Obama and Joe Biden pushed for and signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. The Hate Crimes Prevention Act was signed into law. This added crimes based on someone's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability to the country's hate crimes law. But there's still a lot of work to do today. From the 2018 FBI Hate Crime Statistics, we know that almost 19% of hate crimes were motivated by sexual orientation or gender identity. Biden will deal with these crimes by setting a good example and making it clear that hate speech has no place in the US. Besides that, he will make it easier for people to follow the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Act by giving more money to training in how to investigate bias and hate crimes. He will work with Congress to pass the End Racial and Religious Profiling Act and the Jabara-Heyer NO HATE Act. The End Racial and Religious Profiling Act will stop police from targeting people based on "actual or perceived race, ethnicity, national origin, religion, gender, gender identity, or sexual orientation." Biden will also make sure that hate crimes are prosecuted as a top priority by his administration's Department of Justice. Stop the widespread use of guns and the harm they cause to LGBTQ+ people. Biden has come up with a comprehensive plan to end the epidemic of gun violence. As part of this plan, all gun sales must go through background checks and assault weapons and high-capacity magazines cannot be made or sold. Besides that, he wants to close the "hate crime loophole" by passing laws that say someone "who has been convicted of a misdemeanor hate crime, or received an enhanced sentence for a misdemeanor because of hate or bias in its commission" can't buy or have a gun. Stop Trump's bad policies on asylum and immigration that hurt our reputation around the world. People "yearning to breathe free" from all over the world have long looked to the Statue of Liberty as a beacon. This includes asylum seekers and refugees. But the Trump-Pence Administration has broken this tradition by making it very hard for LGBTQ+ people, who are a very vulnerable group in many parts of the world, to get asylum as members of a "particular social group." The Trump-Pence Administration has also put in place Migrant Protection Protocols, which stop people from coming to the U.S. while they wait for their asylum hearing. When Biden is president, he will: Asylum laws should protect people who are running away from harm. Biden will end Trump's Migrant Protection Protocols and make our asylum laws work again, the way they were meant to: they will protect people who are fleeing persecution and can't safely go back home. He will make sure that LGBTQ+ refugees and people seeking asylum can get the help and safety they need. He will also make sure that federal agencies are trained to recognize and meet the specific needs of LGBTQ+ refugees and asylum seekers. For example, he will speed up services for LGBTQ+ people who may be targeted by violence or are in danger in their home countries. Put money back into a case management program and end long-term detention. LGBTQ+ immigrants are more likely to be sexually abused than other immigrants who are in jail. Biden will put money into nonprofit case management programs and proven alternatives to detention that help migrants understand their legal obligations and are the best way to make sure they show up for their required immigration appointments. These programs also help migrants live in safety and dignity while they wait for their court dates by making it easier for them to get medical care, social services, and school enrollment for their children. There is strong evidence that these programs work very well and are much cheaper and less harsh than keeping families in jail. The Trump-Pence Administration's bias against Muslims hurts our economy and goes against our values. Please lift the un-American travel and refugee bans, which are also known as "Muslim bans." It is morally wrong to keep Muslims, including LGBTQ+ Muslims, from entering the country, and there is no intelligence or evidence to support the idea that doing so would make our country safer. This is yet another way that the Trump Administration has abused its power to target mostly Black and Brown immigrants. Biden will get rid of the "Muslim ban" right away. Help LGBTQ+ people who have been abused. Biden knows that violence often has long-lasting effects on victims and the communities where they live. He also knows that trauma-informed care is important for the physical, emotional, and mental recovery of survivors. Biden will lead the U.S. The Department of Health and Human Services needs to look over all federal programs that help communities that are likely to be victims of violence to make sure they are LGBTQ+-friendly and can help with any trauma that comes up. He will also raise the limit on how much money can be given to the Victims of Crime Act programs. These programs help crime victims pay for things like counseling, lost wages, medical and dental bills, and temporary housing costs that come up because of the crime. MORE LGBTQ+ PEOPLE SHOULD BE ABLE TO GET HIGH-QUALITY HEALTH CARE Passing Obamacare was a big step toward giving more Americans, especially LGBTQ+ Americans, access to high-quality, low-cost health care. But the Affordable Care Act has been attacked every day for the past ten years. Biden is against all efforts to get rid of this important law, whether they come from Republicans or Democrats. He doesn't want to start from scratch and get rid of private insurance. Instead, he wants to build on the Affordable Care Act by giving people more options, lowering costs, and making the system easier to understand. Biden's plan will make sure that every American can get good, affordable health insurance, and it will especially help LGBTQ+ Americans. He's going to: Make sure that the Affordable Care Act's protections against discrimination for LGBTQ+ people are upheld. Before the Affordable Care Act, insurance companies could raise rates on people based on their gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Additionally, insurance companies might charge higher premiums or not cover someone at all if they have HIV. This progress is being rolled back, though, by President Trump. One thing he wants to do is allow health care providers and insurance companies to discriminate against patients based on their gender identity again. President Biden will fight for everyone's right to get good, affordable health care without being judged based on their gender, sexual orientation, or gender identity. Make sure that LGBTQ+ Americans can get full coverage for their care. Biden will make sure that LGBTQ+ people can get all the health care treatments and resources they need. This includes paying for care related to transitioning, like surgery to confirm your gender. It also includes treatment for HIV and ways to avoid getting it. Biden will make sure that federal health plans cover PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis) and PEP (post-exposure prophylaxis), which are life-saving and very effective medicines that stop people from getting HIV. Thank goodness, because of a suggestion from the U.S. Preventive Task Force (USPSTF), starting in 2021, PrEP must be covered without costs being split. Biden will make sure that other costs are covered, like those for lab and medical services. Price gouging by the drug industry will also stop because he will take action when drug companies set prices that are too high. The Obama-Biden Administration's comprehensive National HIV/AIDS Strategy needs to be updated and put into action. Biden has fought for people with HIV/AIDS to be able to get treatment and for money to be given to HIV/AIDS research. He also helped get the Global AIDS program (PEPFAR) passed and expanded it. He will promise again as President to end the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2025. Biden will make changes to and carry out the country's comprehensive HIV/AIDS strategy, which was first created by the Obama-Biden Administration. This plan will drastically lower the number of new HIV cases, make it easier for people to get treatment, and make sure that everyone has equal access to services and support. Furthermore, Biden will fully fund the Ryan White HIV/AIDS Program, which helps people with HIV/AIDS. He will also increase federal funding for HIV/AIDS research and support more funding for the Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS program. Also, he will work to get rid of discrimination and shame so that "barriers to HIV prevention, testing, and care" are lowered. He will do this by educating, reaching out, and bringing together important groups and stakeholders. He will give money to programs, like syringe service programs, that are based on facts and are meant to stop the spread of diseases like HIV. Get rid of laws that make HIV exposure and transmission illegal. Twenty-six states in the United States had laws against HIV exposure in 2018. People with HIV/AIDS are still discriminated against and shamed by these laws, and there is no "scientific basis" for them. As president, Biden will support laws like the REPEAL HIV Discrimination Act, which helps states follow the best practices. "Conversion therapy" should be illegal. Hundreds of thousands of LGBTQ+ people have been through it during their lifetime, and Biden knows it's very bad, not based in science, and often damages people emotionally. While Obama and Biden were in office, they backed efforts to ban "conversion therapy" for minors. However, as of now, this practice is only completely illegal for minors in 19 states. Biden will work to make the Therapeutic Fraud Prevention Act law when he is president. Bring back federal money for Planned Parenthood. Planned Parenthood health centers all over the country are very important for making sure that LGBTQ+ people can get affordable care that is sensitive to their culture. Biden will lift Trump's restrictions on Title X of the Public Health Service Act and give Planned Parenthood its funding back. This way, this important public health organization can keep giving poor and underserved communities reproductive health services, cancer screenings, HIV testing, hormone therapies, and general medical care. Provide more mental health and suicide prevention services for LGBTQ+ people. As Vice President, Biden led efforts to make the federal mental health parity law work, make it easier for people to get mental health care, and get rid of the stigma that surrounds mental health. As president, he will step up these efforts even more to make sure that mental health parity laws are followed and that more money is given to LGBTQ+ mental health services. Make it easier for LGBTQ+ Americans in rural areas to get good health care. When it comes to getting good health care, rural America has its own problems and chances. About one in four rural hospitals are in danger of closing, even though keeping them open is very important for saving lives. People with low incomes who are LGBTQ+ and live in rural areas and would have been eligible for Medicaid but their state refused to expand Medicaid under the Affordable Care Act will be automatically enrolled in a new public option with no premium. This includes LGBTQ+ people of color. He will also give rural hospitals the money they need and the freedom they need to stay open and care for their LGBTQ+ patients. Make sure that LGBTQ+ people are treated fairly in the criminal justice system The criminal justice system in the United States needs to make sure that everyone is treated fairly and with respect, including LGBTQ+ people. But because of bias and shame, LGBTQ+ people are disproportionately more likely to end up in the criminal justice system. LGBTQ+ people, especially transgender people, are more likely to be harmed once they get into the system. To make sure everyone is treated fairly and stop violence in the criminal justice system, Biden will: Lessen the number of times LGBTQ+ people deal with the criminal justice system. Biden thinks that criminal justice reform needs to fix the fact that the system hurts LGBTQ+ people, especially transgender women of color, more than it hurts other people. Biden's bold plan to change the way the criminal justice system works will reduce crime and the number of people in prison by giving states $20 billion to encourage them to focus less on incarceration and more on prevention and rehabilitation. He will tell the Attorney General to use pattern or practice investigations and consent decrees to make it a top priority for the prosecutors to find and prosecute people who are breaking the law. He will also put money into public defenders and get rid of cash bail, which will stop people from going to jail because they can't pay their fines and fees. Make prisons safer places for transgender people who are already there. The Obama-Biden Administration put out a Transgender Offender Manual that says housing assignments must take gender identity into account. But the Trump-Pence Administration's Federal Bureau of Prisons changed this policy. Now, biological sex is used to decide who gets housing, which puts transgender inmates at a very high risk of being raped or assaulted. As president, Biden will ask the Bureau of Prisons to update the Transgender Offender Manual so that transgender people who are in jail are once again protected. Biden will fully carry out the Prison Rape Elimination Act, which includes making sure that the Department of Homeland Security does its part. Besides that, he will make sure that all transgender people who are in federal prisons can get the right doctors and medical care, such as OBGYNs and hormone therapy. Gather the information you need to fully support the LGBTQ+ community. The federal government needs complete and correct information about LGBTQ+ people in the US so that it can figure out what problems they are having and get the right help to the right people and places. In the past, there wasn't a lot of information about the LGBTQ+ community because sexual orientation and gender identity weren't asked about in national surveys. It got easier to find out about people's sexual orientation and gender identity during the Obama-Biden administration. There are real benefits to this kind of data collection that includes everyone. We now have a better idea of why same-sex couples are discriminated against in the online rental market, and we were able to better direct resources to address difference in HIV/AIDS care. But the Trump-Pence Administration has tried to leave LGBTQ+ people out of federal data collection. When Biden is president, he will: Make sure that national surveys and efforts to collect data include questions about sexual orientation and gender identity. Biden will make sure that accurate data is collected by all relevant federal programs and agencies, such as the decennial Census, the American Community Survey, and the Current Population Survey. He will also strictly enforce privacy laws. He will work to pass the LGBTQ Data Inclusion Act and the LGBTQ Data Essential Act. The LGBTQ Data Inclusion Act will require agencies to ask people about their sexual orientation and gender identity on some population surveys, and the LGBTQ Data Essential Act will make it easier to find out what causes the most violent deaths in the LGBTQ+ community. Tell agencies to do a better job of gathering other types of demographic data, like race, ethnicity, and disability status. This data collection will, among other things, make sure that the needs of different parts of the LGBTQ+ community are known and met. Fill in the gaps in the health data and research for LGBTQ+ people. LBGTQ+ health data collection and research gaps were found in the Institute of Medicine report "The Health of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender People: Building a Foundation for Better Understanding." Biden will work to fill these gaps. WORK TOWARDS LGBTQ+ RIGHTS AND DEVELOPMENT AROUND THE WORLD The Obama-Biden Administration did a lot to make sure that LGBTQ+ rights were seen as human rights and to make sure that LGBTQ+ people around the world had more economic and social opportunities. That meant putting people in charge of important parts of the government, like the U.S. The State Department and the U.S. United States Agency for International Development (USAID), to support and advance protections for LGBTQ+ people through diplomacy and development programs. Biden will build on these successes and fix the damage done by the Trump-Pence Administration's treatment of LGBTQ+ Americans, which shows that it is okay for other countries to abuse LGBTQ+ people and doesn't defend American diplomats who speak out for LGBTQ+ rights abroad. Biden, on the other hand, has spoken out against the harsh actions that countries like Chechnya, El Salvador, Malaysia, and Uganda have taken against their LGBTQ+ citizens, including beating them up and even killing them. Biden put it this way: "Prejudice is prejudice; inhumanity is inhumanity." It is not okay to use religion or culture as an excuse for discrimination or to make political points by demonizing LGBT people. This is true everywhere. As president, Biden will make the US once again a world leader in defending LGBTQ+ rights and development. He will also work closely with our partners and other governments that share our values to make sure that violence and discrimination against LGBTQ+ people are stopped. President Biden will put LGBTQ+ human rights and development around the world at the top of his administration's list of priorities in his first week in office. Besides that, Biden will also Make sure that human rights are at the center of how we interact with other people. Biden will make the State Department and USAID offices that work to promote LGBTQ+ rights and development around the world much stronger. He will choose top government officials who will fight for equality around the world. For example, he will put someone in charge of LGBTQ+ rights on the National Security Council so that we can have a consistent message and strategy when we work with different countries and regions. Biden will immediately name a Special Envoy for the Human Rights of LGBTQ+ Persons at the Department of State. This person will be in charge of coordinating diplomatic efforts to fight homophobia, transphobia, and stigma around the world. He will also hire a Special Coordinator to run USAID's LGBTQ+ programs around the world. Push for a human rights agenda that includes LGBTQ+ rights and supports them by including them in a larger human rights agenda. A Biden administration will work to protect everyone's basic human rights, not just LGBTQ+ people's. This means that everyone's rights will be respected, no matter who they love or how they identify. It will work to improve the rights of transgender and intersex people, who are often left out and treated unfairly at home and abroad. To protect and promote human rights and development, as well as to actively fight violence and discrimination, we should use all of our diplomatic tools and foreign aid. Biden will lead a group of likeminded governments and international groups to protect LGBTQ+ people, fight for the decriminalization of LGBTQ+ identities and relationships, and make sure that threats to LGBTQ+ rights or safety are dealt with quickly and effectively around the world. When governments try to limit LGBTQ+ rights, ignore existing laws that protect them, or promote intolerance, the Biden Administration and its partners will use the best method to change that government's behavior. This could include private diplomacy, public statements, multilateral initiatives at UN agencies, and direct, concrete pressure. As needed, the Biden Administration will put a lot of pressure on people who violate human rights, including LGBTQ+ rights, by using sanctions (like the Global Magnitsky sanctions and visa bans). Fight against bias based on sexual orientation and gender identity. To have long-lasting effects and lower violence and discrimination against LGBTQ+ communities, it is important to change people's basic beliefs and attitudes about LGBTQ+ issues. A Biden administration will work with programs like the UN Free & Equal campaign to build on their success and best practices in order to promote LGBTQ+ human rights and reduce bias through culturally appropriate public information campaigns. These kinds of efforts will help and work together with local groups and movements that are pushing this agenda in their own countries. They will also try to give local voices, examples, and role models more attention. Join the civil society in your area. If Biden is elected, USAID and the State Department will focus their foreign aid on helping local LGBTQ+ groups and activists have a stronger voice, more resources, and more power. These groups are very important to the movement to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ people around the world because they are at the front lines of it. As things move along, this is very important for progress and the safety of those working on the ground. A lot of programs were set up by the Obama-Biden administration to help local LGBTQ+ civil society groups all over the world. This is something Biden will build on as president. Check the programs to make sure that the money you spend is helping the right people and making a difference. In its diplomatic and development work, the Biden Administration will put a lot of focus on reaching out to and helping LGBTQ+ people. For instance, development aid will be checked and assessed to make sure it helps LGBTQ+ communities improve their social and economic standing. For the same reason, PEPFAR programs will keep working with LGBTQ+ communities to fight stigma and stop violence and discrimination. This way, LGBTQ+ people can get the health care they need without worrying about their safety. Support legislation in Congress, like the GLOBE Act that is currently being discussed in the House, that will make protecting LGBTQ+ rights an ongoing part of U.S. foreign policy. This includes taking action against discrimination and violence against LGBTQ+ people. Vice President Biden's track record on LGBTQ+ rights During his time in public service, Biden fought for LGBTQ+ people's rights to equality, justice, and inclusion. He also built an unmatched record of concrete progressive action, including eight years working with President Obama. Biden has a long history of supporting the LGBTQ+ community, which includes: In favor of the right to marry. As of May 6, 2012, Biden was the highest-ranking American official to support marriage equality. In a historic interview on "Meet the Press," he said, "Love is love." After three years, in 2015, the Supreme Court agreed and said in the important case Obergefell v. Hodges that the right to marry is a basic right. Getting historic health care reform done with protections against discrimination. The ACA was and still is a big deal. Biden worked hard to get historic health care reform passed, which means that 100 million people no longer have to worry about being turned down for coverage because they are LGBTQ+ or having to pay more for their premiums because they already have a health problem like HIV. Biden's health care plan as president will build on the ACA by adding a new public option to the health care system, lowering costs, and making it easier for everyone to use. All low-income Americans, including LGBTQ+ Americans, will be able to get health insurance through the proposed public option. This is true even if they live in states that have refused to accept the ACA's Medicaid expansion. Getting Through The Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Act to Stop Hate Crimes. This historic bill was pushed for and signed into law by Vice President Biden and President Obama in 2009. It added crimes based on someone's actual or perceived gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability to the country's hate crimes law. The victory came after years of partisan gridlock and more than a dozen bills that Biden pushed for over the years to help stop hate crimes. These included a landmark bill in 1994 that made it easier for people to be punished harshly for crimes based on their sexual orientation and a law in 1989 that required the government to start keeping track of hate crimes based on sexual orientation. Getting rid of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." In 2010, Biden led the Obama-Biden Administration in getting rid of the discriminatory policy. This made it possible for gay, lesbian, and bisexual people in the military to serve their country openly. Advocated for LGBTQ rights in the 2013 reauthorization of the Violence Against Women Act. Biden wrote the Violence Against Women Act in the first place and pushed for its reauthorization in 2013. This was the first time that the law gave LGBTQ+ people, Native Americans, and immigrants special protections. Making schools safer and stopping bullying. Biden has fought for equality and acceptance for LGBTQ+ youth in both his professional and personal life. He took part in the "It Gets Better" campaign in 2010 to help LGBTQ youth who were having trouble with their identity. After leaving the White House, Joe and Jill Biden started the Biden Foundation as a private business. One of its main goals was to promote LGBTQ+ equality through campaigns like "As You Are," which helped kids and their families understand and accept each other. Supporting giving same-sex couples the same benefits. In 1992, Biden voted against a bill that would have stopped the District of Columbia from giving same-sex couples the same health or government benefits as legally married heterosexual couples. In 2004 and 2006, Biden voted against a change to the Constitution that would have said marriage was only between a man and a woman. The Department of Justice under Obama and Biden stopped defending the Constitutionality of the Defense of Marriage Act in 2011. And after the historic Supreme Court decision in United States v. Windsor in 2014, the Administration moved quickly to carry out the Court's decision. This gave LGBTQ+ people the most rights and benefits ever. We are fighting for dignity at work. Biden was one of the original co-sponsors of the Employment NonDiscrimination Act, which would have banned bias and discrimination in the workplace based on sexual orientation. This bill was passed in 2001 and 2003. Starting the first full-scale national plan to fight HIV/AIDS. The Obama-Biden Administration started the first comprehensive HIV/AIDS plan for the whole country in 2010. The administration kept the strategy up-to-date and used it "to address the disparities faced especially by gay and bisexual men of all races and ethnicities and transgender women of color." Help with HIV/AIDS resources early on. Biden has long fought for people with HIV/AIDS to be able to get treatment. Since 1987, he voted to approve important funding for medicines that helped people with AIDS live longer. Biden cosponsored the Ryan White Comprehensive AIDS Resources Emergency (CARE) Act in 1990. This law set up the largest government program to help low-income, poor, and uninsured people living with HIV get treatment and care that could save their lives. As chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in 2008, Biden pushed for the reauthorization of the Global AIDS program (PEPFAR). This increased funding and goals for HIV/AIDS treatment, care, and prevention, and got rid of a law that said people who were HIV-positive couldn't get visas.